I visit Hokkaido quite often, but looking back, I realized I haven’t really spent much time in the northern part of the prefecture. My wife suggested, “Doesn’t a Sturgeon House sound interesting?” so we decided to head out to Bifuka Town.
We arrived at the “Bifuka” Roadside Rest Area (Michi-no-Eki), located right next to the Bifuka Island park where the Sturgeon House is. As soon as we stepped inside, we spotted the Bifuka Caviar. I didn’t think there were many places producing farmed domestic caviar in Japan, so I was a bit surprised to find it in a place like this.
Looking at articles about “Bifuka Caviar,” it’s fascinating to learn about the incredible effort it took to successfully sell it at the roadside station. But what really blew me away was the fact that until the Meiji era, sturgeons used to swim up the nearby Teshio River naturally.
Inside, you can actually feed the sturgeons and see many different species. I learned a lot of things I didn’t know—for starters, sturgeons aren’t actually sharks, and there are as many as 28 different species! I also had no idea it takes 10 years for them to start carrying eggs, and once they’re harvested, they never produce eggs again (no wonder they’re so pricey…). We didn’t get a chance to eat this time since the timing wasn’t right, but apparently you can try sturgeon dishes at the nearby Bifuka Onsen. I’d love to try it if I get another chance!
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